SR-22 Car Insurance in California (2024)
- Expertise: Auto insurance, home insurance and renters insurance
- Education: Sonoma State University (BA in English)
Aaron Besson has worked at LendingTree for more than seven years and has been a staff writer for the last five years. He specializes in producing research-backed content about auto, home and renters insurance. Aaron enjoys the deep dig into insurance data to get the right answers to hard questions. His work has been cited by CBS, iHeart Radio, the Sacramento Bee and Yahoo.
California drivers convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) or another major traffic violation will need SR-22 insurance.
Among major insurers, Mercury offers the cheapest SR-22 insurance in California, followed by Geico and Progressive.
What is SR-22 insurance in California?
“SR-22 car insurance” isn’t a policy type. It refers to the liability limits you need to carry on your insurance in order to be able to drive again.
Specifically, SR-22 insurance — the “SR” stands for “safe and responsible” — is a certificate of financial responsibility you file with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in order to reinstate your driver’s license after a serious violation, such as a DUI conviction or reckless driving. (See more below)
California requires drivers to carry the following liability car insurance limits for an SR-22:
- Bodily injury per person: $15,000
- Bodily injury per accident: $30,000
- Property damage: $5,000
California usually allows drivers to forgo carrying liability car insurance if they make a $35,000 deposit with the DMV or buy a surety bond of equal value. However, this isn’t an option if you commit an offense that requires an SR-22.
California law requires you to carry an SR-22 for a minimum of three consecutive years. In fact, you may need to carry it for as many as five years, depending on the severity of your offense.
Who needs an SR-22?
You’ll need to file an SR-22 in California to get your drivers license back after these incidents:
- License suspension
- Driving without a license
- DUI
- Uninsured at-fault accident
- Reckless driving
How do I get an SR-22 in California?
After your license is suspended, the first step in getting an SR-22 is to contact your insurance company and request that they file one on your behalf.
SR-22 filing is a sign of high-risk driving for car insurance companies, and your insurer could cancel your policy as a result. If this happens, compare quotes from different car insurance companies to find one that can accommodate you.
Once your car insurance company approves the filing of the SR-22, and after you pay the fee, your insurer will fill out the correct forms with the California DMV. When the process is completed, your license will be reinstated.
After the time period you need to carry the SR-22 for ends, you can contact your car insurance company to have the SR-22 removed.
However, if you cease carrying the SR-22 early, or cancel your car insurance while the SR-22 is still in effect, the DMV will be notified, and your license will be revoked again. There may be fines and/or penalties as well.
Non-owner SR-22 car insurance
What are the cheapest car insurance companies after an SR-22?
Mercury Insurance has the cheapest rates for car insurance in California after a DUI — the most common reason for an SR-22 — at $2,828 a year.
Geico is the second cheapest option, at $3,758 a year.
For comparison, the average cost of full-coverage car insurance in California with a clean record is $1,867 a year.
Average cost of California car insurance after a DUI
| Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Mercury | $2,828 |
| Geico | $3,758 |
| Progressive | $3,866 |
| Farmers | $4,564 |
| AAA | $5,963 |
| State Farm | $6,852 |
| Allstate | $8,138 |
How much does an SR-22 cost in California?
California charges around $25 to file an SR-22, depending on your car insurance company. There may be other fees required.
A DUI stays on your insurance record for seven years, so you’ll probably see higher auto insurance premiums during this time.
Methodology
LendingTree obtains rates from insurance company filings reported to Quadrant Information Services. Rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of car insurance quotes for sample drivers. Your rates may vary.
Unless stated otherwise, we used thousands of car insurance quotes from across the U.S. for a 30-year-old man with good credit and one DUI driving a 2015 Honda Civic EX.
For full-coverage policies, the following coverage limits were used:
- Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000
- Uninsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, where required by law
- Personal injury protection: Minimum limits, where required by law
- Collision: $500 deductible
- Comprehensive: $500 deductible